The Shelby County Board of Education has approved Courtney Madison as the new Assistant Principal of Helena Intermediate School. Madison has nine years of experience in education and currently serves as an Elementary Instructional Coach for Shelby County Schools. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education and a Master’s Degree in Instructional Leadership from the University of Montevallo.

Elementary students from school across the Shelby County School District participated in the Imagination Book Fair, which showcased their knowledge of books they had recently read.

Hayley Gilbert – Mt Laurel Elementary – Fourth Grade Winner

The third, fourth, and fifth-grade students competed in the event by designing display boards that depicted their chosen books. Students had to include details of the book in their displays including the author and illustrator, publisher, main characters, plot, setting, conflict, resolution, author’s purpose, mood/tone, and a review or recommendation. The students also had to do a verbal presentation for a panel of judges, where they were asked to describe details of the book and how they came up with the idea for the design of their display boards.

The overall winner of the event was Mallory Venable from Shelby Elementary, whose display board highlighted the book “Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library.” As the overall winner, Venable won a new Chromebook.

Another highlight of the Imagination Book Fair was marker station tables that were showcased by each elementary Library Media Center. The tables included fun activities where the students were able to play with Ozobots, Play-Doh, design their own bookmarks and book jacket covers, build cootie catchers, or doodle their favorite book quote. There were also STEM activities such as building a bridge for the Three Billy Goats Gruff, a wooden house for the three little pigs that would survive a blast of air from the Big Bad Blowdryer Wolf or a jet car that was propelled with air from a balloon.

The Shelby County Board of Education recently honored the district’s top scholars at the Superintendent’s Super Scholars Awards held March 6 at Calera High School. The awards night is designed to honor the academic achievement of high school students throughout the Shelby County School District.

The guest speaker for the event was Chelsea resident and parent Rich Bartlewski, area vice president for Boston Scientific. Bartlewski, who played college football for California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) and three seasons in the National Football League, shared leadership lessons he learned from his college football coach – Jim Sweeney.

Each year, over one million high school students nationwide take the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) to compete in the National Merit Scholarship Program. High School juniors who score in the top two percent in each state are selected as semi-finalists in the National Merit Scholarship Program. These semi-finalists are then considered for the National Merit Scholarship Awards, which is awarded to students who score in the top one percent.

National Merit Finalists

This year, there are nine students from Shelby County who have been named National Merit Finalists. They are Evan Mealins from Chelsea High School, Tyler Morris from Shelby County High School, and Lawson Brown, Alyssa Gruman, Emery Little, Gabe McPherson, Josh Myers, Adam Pendry, and Cole Sullivan, all from Oak Mountain High School.

National Merit Commended Students

Five students were honored as National Merit Commended Students. These students scored in the top five percent in the nation on the PSAT. Students honored were Keanu DickinsonMadison O’Connell from Chelsea High School, Mitchel PinkstonHunter Rush from Oak Mountain High School, and Jace Aldrich from Helena High School.

Presidential Scholar Candidates

High school seniors across the nation that score exceptionally well on either the SAT or ACT are invited to apply to be considered for the Presidential Scholar Program, which recognizes 141 of the nation’s most distinguished graduating high school seniors. These scholars are selected on the basis of broad academic achievement, or because they demonstrate exceptional talent in the visual, creative and performing arts. Presidential Scholars will be named in April and will be honored in June during a National Recognition week held in Washington, D.C. The following students were honored as Presidential Scholar Candidates: Evan Mealins from Chelsea High School; Josh Myers,Adam Pendry, andCole Sullivan from Oak Mountain High School; and Tyler Morris from Shelby County High School.

Evan K. Major Top Valedictorians

The top valedictorians from each school were honored with the Evan K. Major, Jr. Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement. The award is named in honor of former superintendent, Evan K. Major, Jr. Students honored included Oscar Becerra, Calera High School; Jessica Lewis from Chelsea High School; Jace Aldrich from Helena High School; Jordan Johnson and Jordynn Thomas (tied) from Montevallo High School; Adam Pendry from Oak Mountain High School; Tyler Morris from Shelby County High School; and Broxton Sanders from Vincent High School.

Others honored as Super Scholars included 10th-grade students who exhibited outstanding performance on the Fall PSAT/NMSQT and 12th-grade students who demonstrated exceptional achievement on the college-level Advanced Placement (AP) exams. Less than ten percent of the more than 840,000 students nationwide who took the AP exams performed at a level high enough to merit this recognition. PSAT Scholar honors are awarded to students with PSAT Selection Index scores in the top 20 percent.

Advanced Placement Scholars with Distinction

Advanced Placement Scholars with Distinction awards were given to students who receive an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP exams taken and scores of 3.0 or higher on five or more of the exams that were taken on full-year courses. Jessica Lewis from Chelsea High School, Adam Pendry and Cole Sullivan from Oak Mountain High School and Tyler Morris from Shelby County High School were honored.

Advanced Placement Scholars with Honor

Advanced Placement Scholars with Honor is awarded to students who receive an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP exams taken and scores of 3.0 or higher on four or more of the exams that were taken on full-year courses. Students who received this award were Carter Burleson, Keanu Dickinson, Evan Mealins, Michael Middleton and Morgan Seay from Chelsea High School; Tyler Ball, Lawson Brown, Alyssa Gruman, Joshua Myers, Jonathon Porco, and Samantha Valladolid-Garcia from Oak Mountain High School; and Erika Stetson from Shelby County High School.

Students who scored in the top five percent on the PSAT were given the Larry Headrick Award, which is named for the district’s former High School Coordinator. Students who were honored were Megan Oakes from Helena High School; Maggie Beard, Matthew Bray, Elizabeth Camp, Neil Furman, Eugene Lee, Gideon Lombardo, Dylan Moore, Chiraag Samal, Joshua Scherer, Rilyn Todd, and Charlene Zhoa from Oak Mountain High School.

Dr. Lewis Brooks, Assistant Superintendent of Pupil Services and Administration, and Cindy Warner, Supervisor of Public Relations and Community Education, were recently recognized with state awards.

Dr. Brooks was recognized as this year’s recipient of the Dr. Sue B. Adams Leadership Award at the annual Alabama Association of Prevention, Attendance and Support Services (AAPASS) spring conference. Dr. Adams was long remembered for the role she held in the ALSDE’s Prevention and Support Department and was considered a pioneer in the areas of student safety, attendance and discipline, dropout prevention, and working with at-risk students.

At the award ceremony, Dr. Brooks was recognized for his leadership and efforts in developing and implementing the Shelby County Safe Schools Initiative to enhance school safety in Shelby County schools and for increasing parent involvement with at-risk students.

Warner was recognized with the Nez Calhoun Distinguished Service Award at the Alabama School Public Relations Association (ALSPRA) annual state conference. The award is named in honor of Nez Calhoun, who recently retired after serving more than 40 years as the Public Information Officer for the Jefferson County Board of Education. It honors an ALSPRA member for his or her commitment and dedication to the organization and to the school public relations profession. Typically, this member has gone above and beyond the call to support ALSPRA and its members.

Six out of the 13 teams Alabama will send to the VEX IQ Worlds Robotics Competition will be from Oak Mountain Middle School. The six teams received bids to the upcoming world competition after competing at state competition March 2 at the Gadsden Coliseum. Sherri Whitehead, OMMS Project Lead the Way teacher and robotics team sponsor, was also honored at the state competition as the “Mentor of the Year.”

Out of 151 teams in the state, only 32 qualified to compete at the state level. Of those 32, we had 11 teams receive an invitation to compete.” said Whitehead. “From the state tournament, 13 teams advanced to the VEX IQ Worlds Robotics

Oak Mountain Middle School teams who received bids to the Worlds competition include:

Shelby County Board of Education member David Bobo and Kathy Copeland with White Rock Quarries, listen in on a student-led GRIT conference.

Business and community leaders from Vincent, Harpersville, and Westover were all in attendance at a luncheon to kickoff the Vincent Middle High School Spring Into Action Fundraising Campaign. The school is attempting to raise about $250,000 over the next five years to fulfill a wish list of needs developed by teachers and staff that will help the school fulfill its mission of providing rigorous, relevant, and student-centered education that will equip all students with the essential skills necessary to succeed after graduation.

“We need your help in order to make that happen,” Principal Michelle Edwards told those in attendance. “And we want you to know that we have a five-year plan. We have a purpose for every dollar that we raise and ultimately it is all to benefit our students.”

Some of those needs include replacing the 20-year-old band uniforms, implementing a Sports Medicine lab and a STEM lab, building an indoor practice facility, and making upgrades to the Library Media Center and the sound equipment. The school would also like to purchase rechargeable calculators, broadcasting equipment, photo/video editing software, digital cameras and darkroom accessories, music production, a military badge machine for JROTC, and Agriscience equipment.

Shelby County Board of Education member Peg Hill and other attendees of the Spring Into Action event at VMHS listen in on a student-led GRIT conference.

Those who attended the event were able to witness GRIT conference, student-led conference with either a parent or a school faculty member, that were being conducted in the library media center. Students were unfazed by the added spectators of their conferences, welcoming the visitors to listen and watch as they presented digital portfolios detailing their academic progress and future goals and objectives.

Attendees also got to hear from seventh-grade student Maliyah Curry, eighth-grade student Caleah Dates, and twelfth-grade student Hannah Daughdrill, who all spoke during the luncheon. Daughdrill shared how her fellow students and her teachers have all helped and encouraged her during her high school career. Daughdrill will graduate as the class Salutatorian, despite working two jobs, enduring painful shoulder surgery that impacted her ability to play volleyball her junior year, and the loss of her volleyball coach to cancer this year.

Hannah Daughdrill

“Shelby County Schools has the mission of making every student a graduate and every graduate prepared,” Daughdrill said. “Vincent Middle High School has definitely prepared me for my future after graduation.”

Vincent Mayor Ray McAllister and City Council member Bridgette Jordan-Smith kicked off the fundraising effort with a $1,000 donation from the city.

“I wanted to show that we very much believe in this effort,” McAllister said. “We can all come together and make this happen.”

Angela Clark, Technology Program Area Specialist for Shelby County Schools, was recently awarded Outstanding Alumni for the Instructional Technology Ed. S. Program by the University of Montevallo.

The award was presented by Dr. Jennifer Alexiou-Ray at the College of Education’s Faculty, Staff, and Alumni Recognition Dinner on February 6.

In May 2016, Clark graduated from the University of Montevallo with an Educational Specialist degree in Instructional Technology as a part of the first cohort of that program. She also has a Master of Education Degree in Instructional Leadership from William Carey University and a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Mississippi State University.

She earned National Board Certification in Social Studies AYA in 2001 and successfully renewed in 2011. Currently, she serves as the Technology Program Area Specialist providing instructional technology support to the students, teachers, and administrators in all schools.

“Working with our district technology team over the past seven years, along with my three years of coursework at Montevallo, has opened many doors and given me the opportunity to grow as a teacher, coach, and leader in the fast-paced world of educational technology,” said Clark. “I am so thankful for my UM experience and honored to be recognized by my former professors with this award.”

Oak Mountain High School’s mixed and women’s show choirs won several awards during competition at the Auburn Show Choir Showdown, held February 24 at Auburn High School. Schools from across the Southeast were there to compete.

The Muses

The Muses, the OMHS women’s choir, competed in the women’s division with their “A League of Their Own” themed show. The show full of patriotic, nostalgic and powerful music received a standing ovation from the crowd.

The Muses swept the Women’s Division by winning Best Overall Show, Best Musicianship, Best Visuals and Grand Champions.

Singers

Oak Mountain’s mixed choir, the Singers, competed in the large mixed division. Their much-anticipated “Laissez Bon Temps Rouler” (Let the Good Times Roll) show opened to a packed house. With powerful soloists and non-stop dancing, the Singers show was cheered on throughout by the receptive crowd. They never missed a beat even when risers began falling underneath them. Their efforts were rewarded with a trip to the Finals where they competed again in the Top 5.

Singers received First Runner Up Overall and Best Band. Griffin Greene was awarded Best Male Performer and Caroline Stewart was awarded Best Female Soloist in a Show and Best Female in the solo competition.

Oak Mountain Middle School’s Show Choir, Class Act, also performed at the event on February 23, where they placed third in the middle school division and won for best solo.

]]>http://podcasts.shelbyed.k12.al.us/scs-news/2018/02/27/oak-mountain-show-choirs-win-awards-at-auburn-show-choir-showdown-2018/feed/0Chelsea High School Show Choir Out of the Blue Perform at Heart of America Show Choir Competitionhttp://podcasts.shelbyed.k12.al.us/scs-news/2018/02/26/chelsea-high-school-show-choir-out-of-the-blue-perform-at-heart-of-america-show-choir-competition/
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Chelsea High School’s competitive show choir, “Out of the Blue” competed on February 24 in the Heart of America Nashville national show choir competition held at Tennessee’s Gaylord Opryland Resort representing the state of Alabama.

“Out of the Blue”, under the direction of Kay Dick, was honored with a first runner-up trophy in the preliminary open division with a high top score earning them a spot in the final round. The evening ended with the show choir being awarded overall fourth runner-up and Patricia Noel earning awards for Overall Best Female Soloist.

“Out of the Blue,” which is comprised of 22 singers, seven band members, and five crew members, competed among programs double their size with triple the experience from Massachusetts, West Virginia, Indiana, and Missouri.

While in Nashville, the group recorded two of their award-winning contest songs, ‘I Look to You’ by Whitney Houston, and ‘Devil in Disguise’ by Elvis Presley. The songs were taped in the historic RCA Studio B at the invitation of the Country Music Hall of Fame. Some of the original instruments from Elvis’s 1963 record were used by the students and staff during their session. See a video of them singing at RCA here: https://tinyurl.com/y86ogk76

The award-winning ensemble received a police escort back to school due to the support, assistance, and organization of Chief Deputy Chris George with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office. They were met at the school by cheering fans, family, and friends as the bus pulled up and students unloaded from a very eventful, memorable, and successful weekend.

Parents attending student-led conferences at Oak Mountain Intermediate School were in for an added treat, as students used newly designed digital portfolios to showcase their work.

Two OMIS teachers who are pursuing National Board Certification came up with the idea for the students to develop digital portfolios to use in conjunction with their student-led conferences. Those teachers are fifth-grade teachers Michelle Tindal and Aubrey Huynh.

Aubrey Huynh and Michelle Tindal, 5th-grade teachers at OMIS helped their students develop digital portfolios to use during student-led conferences with parents.

Students and parents from Tindal’s and Huynh’s fifth-grade classrooms were the first to try out the new digital portfolio format, spreading out at tables throughout the school’s cafeteria with Google Chromebooks for the student’s to present their work on February 21.

“Because student-led conferences are a part of our county school improvement plan, Mrs. Huynh and I wanted to find a way to integrate technology and student engagement in this process,” said Tindal. “The creation of the digital portfolios was truly a student-driven experience from beginning to end. As teachers, we equipped them with the knowledge of how to set up the portfolio and guidance on what work samples would be appropriate to include, but the creation was all their own. The outcome was a product that engaged students in becoming leaders of their own learning.”

Students developed their digital portfolios using Google Sites to create websites which included links to their work. The links included an introduction page, mastered and non-mastered learning targets in various subjects, favorite things studied, and goals. Parents observed as students showed off their technical skills in navigating their digital portfolio website, as well as their leadership skills in presenting the information being shared on the screen.

Keira Vinales, a student at OMIS, proudly showed her digital portfolio to her parents and younger sister.

“I was impressed with her confidence,” said Kristy Arroyo, mother of Keira Vinales, after hearing her daughter present her information.

Parents who were not able to attend the group student-led conference due to work conflicts or prior commitments will have the opportunity to have their child share the information with them at home since the digital portfolios can be accessed online. Those students also had the opportunity share their information with other adults, such as other teachers and district leaders who were in attendance, as a practice-run for when they present it to their parents at home.

Tindal said students from both classes worked diligently to create their digital portfolios and were so eager to share with their parents and other educators. Derrick Reeves, a student in her class, said they worked for months to learn how to develop the digital portfolios and add the content to them.

“We worked really hard,” Reeves said. “It took us about two months to do it, but it was a lot of fun.”

Huynh said she and Tindal were very happy with the digital portfolios the students created, as well as their self-awareness and maturity when presenting to their parents.

“This project was completely student-driven, and I believe our kids truly benefited from this opportunity,” said Huynh. “The feedback we received from parents and students was both positive and constructive. Parents have stated that the conferences were engaging and informative, and that they enjoyed the open communication with their child about their academic, behavioral, and social goals. Students expressed interest in continuing to build their portfolios in years to come and felt like student-led conferences gave them a valuable opportunity to reflect and set goals for the future.

The response from parents was overwhelmingly positive on the surveys they provided after the conferences. Below is a sample of what parents had to say:

“I very much enjoyed this and appreciate the communication from my son and the school. Thank you very much!”

“I enjoyed it and I like how she knows and understands her strengths and how to work on her weaknesses.”

“I am so glad I got to be a part of this experience and thankful that you are encouraging my daughter to take responsibility for her work at school.”